Allegri says Napoli must respond with results before Bodo/Glimt clash
Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri has insisted that results, rather than conversations about his future, will determine the response to a difficult run of form as his side prepare for a Champions League meeting with Bodo/Glimt.
Pressure has increased following Napoli’s 1-0 loss to Venezia, a defeat in which the visitors were beaten after conceding from their opponents’ only meaningful attacking moment. The result has fuelled uncertainty around Allegri’s position, but the coach said he remains in regular contact with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis and spoke with him again on the morning of his pre-match media duties.
“I spoke to him this morning as well,” Allegri said. “Words do not count for much. We have to go out on the pitch and produce results; everything else is just talk.”
The Bodo/Glimt game offers Napoli an immediate chance to change the mood. Allegri described the Champions League fixture as significant for the team’s position in the table and believes victory would provide a timely lift before Saturday’s league match against Roma, who are in strong domestic form.
“We need to concentrate on tomorrow evening,” he said. “The Champions League is an important match, particularly to improve our place in the standings. Winning would raise confidence, then we have Roma on Saturday and they are doing very well in the league.”
Allegri calls for defensive improvement
Napoli’s principal concern has been their tendency to concede too readily. Allegri maintained that some of the team’s displays have been encouraging, but accepted that the defensive record has undermined that work and called on the players to show greater care in decisive moments.
“There have been good performances when you look at the overall level,” he said. “The issue is that we let in goals too easily. The players understand that, so we have to do more.”
Allegri also rejected the idea of making sweeping judgments on individuals after one poor game. Napoli face an intense schedule, with nine matches in the next month and another nine in the month after that, and the coach said he will need contributions throughout the squad rather than relying on a settled starting XI.
“A player does not lose his qualities because he has one bad match,” Allegri said. “We have nine games in a month, then nine more the following month. Every player can help with his own characteristics and ability. Some are not at their best right now, but they can return to a better level. There is trust in everyone, because it is impossible to complete a season using only 11 players.”
Napoli will now look to turn that belief into a result against Bodo/Glimt before attention returns to Serie A and the visit of Roma.
